and now for a different kind of Amelie



Amelie Mauresmo made the tennis headlines in 1999 when she made the semifinals in the Australian open. But came down with all the hullaballoo that goes when you say out loud that you're gay, and Martina Hingis calls you "half a man."

Out Magazine writes: "The old-style gay plotline might have gone something like this: Player comes out, suffers media and public backlash, loses endorsements, but privately triumphs in newfound personal freedom. Actually, the opposite occurred. Mauresmo was mostly embraced by fans (particularly in her home country) who were put off by the insensitivity of her peers; her sponsors stood by her; and she became a huge celebrity almost overnight. But her game and personal life unraveled during the next couple of years. Her ranking fell, her stormy relationship with restaurant owner Sylvie Bourdon dissolved, and she found herself further estranged from her family, who were already upset by her private coming-out to them several months before. She later changed coaches and suffered through various injuries, including career-threatening cartilage damage in her right knee last fall. "

All that tough things when you're 19. Clueless kasi. Ayan tuloy. But now she's 24 and getting better. No. 6 na siya sa ATP rankings. Plus she holds the only distinction of beating both Serena and Venus this season. O di ba, taray ng lola?